England (National Football)

Thomas Tuchel has agreed to replace Gareth Southgate as manager of the English men's national football team.

England confirmed the hire on Wednesday after it was previously reported the two sides had come to terms on Tuesday by The Times.

Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports previously reported England was in contract talks with Tuchel and he could "quickly be confirmed" as the new manager.

Tuchel, who is a 51-year-old veteran manager from Germany, has extensive managerial experience at some of the top clubs in the world, including Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Harry Kane, who played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich, spoke about the reports on Tuesday:

Per Dorsett, Jürgen Klopp, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe had previously been considered strong candidates for England's managerial opening as well, plus the FA reportedly reached out to Pep Guardiola shortly after Southgate's resignation in July.

Despite that, there has been no real movement on those fronts, and FA technical director John McDermott was reportedly locked in on Tuchel due to his desire to hire a manager with a track record of winning major trophies.

Tuchel undoubtedly fits the bill, as he won two Ligue 1 titles at PSG, one UEFA Champions League title at Chelsea and one Bundesliga title at Bayern Munich.

It has been decades since England's last major title, as they won their only World Cup back in 1966 and have never won the UEFA European Championship.

During Southgate's time at the Three Lions helm from 2016 to 2024, England came close to breaking through on multiple occasions.

They finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2022, plus they finished as the runner-up at both Euro 2020 and 2024.

Their Euro 2024 loss was especially heartbreaking since they scored an equalizer in the 73rd minute only to lose on an 86th-minute goal by Spain.

Should England ultimately appoint Tuchel, he would become only the third foreign manager in the history of the English national team, joining Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

The FA has reportedly stepped up its efforts to find Southgate's successor recently, especially in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Greece in the UEFA Nations League last week under interim manager Lee Carsley.

Gareth Southgate announced Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role as manager of England's men's national soccer team.

In a statement posted on the official England Football website, Southgate wrote the following:

"As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all. But it's time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday's final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager."

Southgate, who managed England in 102 matches since taking over as manager in 2016, got the Three Lions to the Euro 2024 final on Sunday; however, they fell 2-1 to Spain.

England were in search of their first-ever men's title at the UEFA European Championship, but an 86th-minute goal by Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal broke a 1-1 tie and hearts of English fans.

According to ESPN's James Olley, the English Football Association wanted Southgate to stay on as manager through at least the 2026 World Cup, but his contract was set to expire in December, and he decided to step away.

Southgate enjoyed a long and successful career as a player for Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough from 1988 until 2006.

He then served as Middlesbrough's manager from 2006 through 2009 before taking the job as England's Under-21 squad manager in 2013.

Southgate was elevated to the role of men's English senior national team manager in 2016 following the resignation of Roy Hodgson.

Although England never won a major trophy with Southgate at the helm, they came close on numerous occasions, including finishing as the runner-up at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, securing England's two best finishes ever at the European Championship.

Southgate also guided England at the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022, getting them out of the group stage both times.

The Three Lions finished in fourth place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and they were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The England men's side have only one major trophy to their credit between the World Cup and the Euros, that being the 1966 World Cup.

Despite England consistently being among the top teams in the world since then, they have continually fallen just short of sealing the deal, and it happened once again at Euro 2024 in Germany.

While the result was disappointing, Southgate expressed confidence that England have the players needed to finally get over the hump in the near future, saying:

"The squad we took to Germany is full of exciting young talent and they can win the trophy we all dream of. I am so proud of them, and I hope we get behind the players and the team at St. George's Park and the FA who strive every day to improve English football, and understand the power football has to drive positive change."

Southgate also said England have "the best fans in the world," before noting that he is "an England fan and I always will be."

While it isn't yet clear who will replace the 53-year-old Southgate as England's manager, Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe, former Chelsea manager Graham Potter and former Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino are among the leading candidates, per Olley.

The crowd at Wimbledon on Saturday had more than just excellent tennis on their mind.

During Novak Djokovic's third-round match against Alexei Popyrin, the crowd erupted after hearing the news that England's national team had defeated Switzerland in a penalty shootout to advance to the Euro 2024 semifinals.

The cheering caused a brief delay in the match, and both Djokovic and Popyrin flashed smiles. Djokovic also simulated a kicking motion during the break.

England was knotted at one with Switzerland after extra time but converted all five of its penalties to punch a ticket to the semifinals. It was not the only quarterfinal match that advanced to penalty kicks, as Friday's clash between France and Portugal saw Kylian Mbappé and Co. advance after a scoreless 120 minutes.

This is the fourth time England has advanced to the Euro semifinals. It also advanced in 1968, 1996 and 2021, and only earned a victory in the round during the last installment of the tournament before falling to Italy in the final.

The English will look to build on the victory and inch closer to the final when it faces the Netherlands or Türkiye. That game is scheduled for July 10, so the Wimbledon quarterfinals could see a similar disruption.

Jude Bellingham's gesture toward the Slovakia bench in England's 2-1 victory in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 has resulted in a fine, but he was able to avoid a tournament suspension.

The UEFA control ethics and disciplinary body issued Bellingham a fine of roughly $32,500 and a suspended one-match ban for his actions late in the second half of the June 30 match.

Bellingham's ban is suspended for one year, which allows him to play in England's Euro quarterfinal match against Switzerland on Friday.

The incident occurred in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Bellingham's goal on a bicycle kick tied the score at one apiece.

Per Luke Bosher of The Athletic, Bellingham appeared to make a lewd gesture in the direction of Slovakia's bench.

UEFA announced on Monday a disciplinary inspector was looking into a "potential violation of the basic rules of decent conduct."

In a post on X, Bellingham wrote the gesture was directed "towards some close friends who were at the game" and he has "nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight."

Bosher noted the International Football Association Board's laws of the game state any "obscene gesture" or "offensive or insulting action" should be punishable by red card. There was no card issued during the match for Bellingham's gesture.

Bellingham's goal forced the match into extra time. England prevailed thanks to Harry Kane's goal in the first minute of extra time to reach the quarterfinal.

Manager Gareth Southgate will already be without Marc Guehi in the quarterfinal after he received his second yellow card of the tournament early in the first half against Slovakia.

The victory kept the Three Lions alive in the tournament as they seek their first Euro title after losing to Italy in the final three years ago.

England will take on Switzerland at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Germany on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

Jude Bellingham's heroic moment in the 95th minute saved England in a 2-1 win over Slovakia in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024 and impressed some of the biggest stars from the sports world.

Trailing 1-0 in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Bellingham's bicycle kick found the corner of the net when Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka was moving in the opposite direction.

Harry Kane's header in the first minute of extra time was the difference for the English team.

Everyone from Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady to Joel Embiid and J.J. Watt offered their praise to Bellingham and Kane for their instantly-iconic moments.

Kane also praised Bellingham's goal during his post-match interview:

"That's what Jude does. It was an unbelievable goal. One of the best in our country's history I reckon. What a player he is. He works so hard for the team. There has been a lot of talk about him the last couple of days and it shows what he can do. In big moments he steps up, and that's what we needed."

This hasn't been a stellar tournament so far for an England squad that was one of the pre-tournament favorites. The Three Lions won Group C with a 1-2-0 record, but scored just two goals in three matches.

England went 257 minutes without a goal before Bellingham's bicycle kick. The previous goal for the club was in the 18th minute by Kane in a 1-1 draw against Denmark on June 18.

One thing that has gone right for the English team throughout the tournament is their defense. They have only given up two goals in four matches. Spain, France and Belgium are the only other teams that have allowed two or fewer goals, but those teams have yet to play in the knockout round.

Next up for England is a showdown with Switzerland in the quarterfinals. The Swiss defeated Italy in the Round of 16 on Saturday to advance. This is the first meeting between the two countries since a March 2022 friendly won 2-1 by England.

England survived a tough test from Haiti in the first match of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup for both teams.

Georgia Stanway's penalty-kick goal in the 29th minute was the deciding factor in the 1-0 victory for the Lionesses.

The goal was Stanway's second attempt after Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus moved off the line early. England received a penalty kick when Batcheba Louis was called for a handball.

While the win is certainly the most important thing, there was some concern from fans and analysts that the Lionesses weren't able to definitively separate themselves from a feisty Haitian team.

The absence of Leah Williamson in defense, who had ACL surgery in May, was strongly felt in a game like this. She's been England's captain since April 2022 and seemed poised for a huge moment in the spotlight after leading the team to its first Euro title in July 2022.

England did dominate possession (75 percent), resulting in 21 total shots (seven shots on goal), but Haiti proved a formidable foe thanks in large part to Theus' efforts. The 24-year-old stopped 10 of 11 shots she faced to keep her team in the match for all 90 minutes.

Next up for England is a showdown with Denmark on July 28 at 4:30 a.m. ET. Haiti will square off with China on that same day at 7 a.m. ET.